Is Burke hurting Scott’s progress; Mexican food for us

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Phil Garner and the Astros claim that they are still trying to win, but it’s obvious that they’ve conceded this season and started to see what certain players can do. For instance, Chris Burke was allowed to go 1-for-7 over 14 innings Thursday night in the 12-11 victory over the Braves.

Melissa Phillip / Chronicle

Playing Luke Scott in right field makes the Astros better on offense and defense.

Melissa Phillip / Chronicle

What has Chris Burke done lately to prove he deserves playing time?

Luke Scott, who had hit .444 over the 10 games before Thursday and was 6-for-8 with two doubles, a home run and two RBIs on Saturday and Sunday before he landed on the bench in Atlanta, should be playing every day. It’s gotten to the point now that it makes no sense to ask Phil Garner why he plays Burke because it’s clear that he loves the guy like a son.

Burke’s batting average dropped to .222 after Thursday night. Burke’s supporters can whine all they want about Craig Biggio, but the fact remains that a team that wants to win should play Mark Loretta at second base, where he is more comfortable.

If the Astros had played Loretta at second, Lance Berkman at first and Luke Scott at right, the offense and defense would have been better Thursday and Scott wouldn’t have had to visit with Garner to ask about his playing time.

If the rebuilding process has begun, then the Astros must be honest with the fans and say they want to sacrifice victories to see what Burke can do. But if you still want to win, bench Burke and find more consistent playing time for Mike Lamb and Scott.

If Burke really cares about progressing, he’ll head to Puerto Rico to play for Jose Cruz this winter. That’s where you can play daily to progress. These are the major leagues and fans are paying major league prices in hopes of seeing a winning product. How many good players are the Astros going to lose while banking on Burke, who was a big reason why the Astros thought they could afford to lose Willy Taveras?

Can somebody tell me what Burke has done to deserve playing time?

What lineup would you like to see?

Which players should the Astros send to winter ball this year?

• • •

In light of Morgan Ensberg’s and my belief that Mexican food, as a whole, is better in California than the Houston area, I’ve received plenty of offers to be proven wrong. As you all know, I love to go talk baseball with the readers of this blog.

Joel Balderas, one of the most loyal readers and critics of this blog, challenged me to go eat at his family’s restaurant. Well, on Sunday morning, I’m taking my family to eat there after church. And, yes, I’m picking up my family’s tab. I wouldn’t accept a free meal. Well, not when I can expense it with the Chronicle.

If you want to join us, we’ll be in Spring, the North end of Aldine Westfield at Carlos Mexican Restaurant at about 9:30 a.m. E-mail me to tell me if you’ll be there. The restaurant is at 23233 Aldine Westfield Road, Spring, TX 77373. If Joel wants, he’ll post the phone number to the restaurant in the comments later. See you there.

• • •

By the way, if you wanted to win, which lineup would you post for the Astros?

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79 Responses

Burke hurting Scott’s chances? How about Biggio hurting Burke’s development? Burke should have taken over for Biggio two years ago; however, that didn’t happen and Burke’s development was, IMO, severely damaged.

There is no way Burke should be playing the outfield. He does not have a strong arm and his defense is suspect. Scott’s defense is also suspect but he has shown the ability to hit left-handed pitching. For some reason (maybe Scott’s defense), Garner will play Burke in RF instead of Scott.

Irregarless of all that, this team was fundamentally flawed coming out of spring training. Burke should never have been put in CF and that decision had a dramatic domino affect on the lineup.

First, Taveras is traded because Tim P. believes Burke could play CF – wrong. Second, Tim P. believed that Ensberg would revert back to his 2005 form – wrong again. Third, Tim P gives away three good prospects for Jennings w/o first signing him to an extension. (Prior to this year, Jennings had been an excellent pitcher with 200-plus innings pitched per year). Fourth, thinking that Lane or Scott was the answer in RF when none of them had shown a history of being able to hit consistently – bad move. Fifth, I liked the Loretta signing but why sign an All-Star and not play him everyday. It was almost as if Tim P. signed Loretta to be a utility player. Lastly, the bullpen was a shambles and Tim P. should have used some of his minoe league talent instead of signing Moehler and White.

The Burke experiment in CF was the first decision in a series of many that caused the Astros 2007 season to be an utter disaster.

There are several ways to get Wiggy, Smiley(Scott), Berkman, Lamb and even Loretta in the line-up at the same time. For instance, Berkman is not a bad center-fielder and could play there until Pence returns, with Scott in right. (How can we ever forget the catch Lance made on Tal’s Hill a couple of years ago? Not as pretty as Beltran’s but just as great a catch!) SCOTT MUST PLAY EVERY DAY. I (and many others) have been saying that since the season started. Scott is special. We need to find out if last year for him was just a fluke. If he can return to that form, he can carry the team with his bat. He could be that good. Give him the chance.

I love all the suggestions for Mexican Food. I have been on a quest for the Worlds greatest crispy beef tacos. So far, Don M’s in Del Rio are on top but I’m open for suggestions. To each his own…but Marcos??? come on, I wouldn’t eat there again if they paid me. My last visit was a good 5 to 10 years ago, they brought my tacos out on an extremely hot plate, they had heated my dear tomatoes and lettuce, nothing worse than heated wilted lettuce. Viva Crispy Beef Tacos!!! Viva Pork Tamales!!!

Jason Lane is only playing games lately because Garner has some kind of mancrush with this guy. All he is is a Willy Mo Pena copy-cat. Yes they can hit HRs yes but they are weak hitters. Lane did not even get a job when he was sent to the minors, everybody knows it.

“the worse trade in franchise history was when Tim Purpuro over-reacted to the departure of Andy Petite and traded 2 starting pitchers and the fastest centerfielders in the organization for 2-7 Jason Jennings.”

Not sure what Garners deal is but he is not playing to win. Playing Lane everyday is crazy. You have to have Scott in the lineup everyday. This guy can carry a team like he did last year. Pitchers have already figured out Lane and he will always be a .180 hitter. I am not sure who has the mancrush with him but this has got to stop. Same thing with Burke. This guy is a joke.

This is the lineup I would like to see for the rest of the year. When Pence and Everette return they should replace Lane and Bruntlett.

Hopefully Wiggs can show us he is better than Lamb. From my understanding his defense is just as bad and I think Lamb’s hitting is better too. Either way I doubt he will be enough of an improvement over Lamb to justify the trade.

I don’t think we need to see anymore of Loretta and Lamb. We know what they are capable of. As for Scott I don’t know why they’re not playing him. Maybe because Andru Jones will be in Center next year and Pence in Right and Scott will be the power lefty off the bench if Lamb finds a Starting job.

As for Burke he hasn’t done anything lately, yet he does deserve A shot. He has never gotten one. He’s 28 and found him self stuck behind Biggio. It sucks to be him (kind of, he still plays baseball). He needs to play every day and should be the starting 2B next year.

Get off Garner’s case you guys–and for that matter–get off Purplane’s case as well. Uncle Awshucks Draytie makes ALL the decisions!!!!!! He tells yes-man Tim what to do. Yes-man Tim tells yes-man Phil what to do. I 100% guarantee that this is the way that it is so don’t waste breath on Tim and Phil. Nothing changes till we get a new owner and take Uncle Awshucks locker out of the clubhouse [The writer from Sports Illustrated said he acted like he had a locker there]. I 100% guarantee that this is the way it is. Draytie pays HUGE bucks to a publicist to make sure nothing negative is said but occasionally leaks like Billy Wagner and Gerry Hunsicker get out of Awshucks control. JJO—start criticizing the problem–Uncle Draytie!! He will wither under the negative criticism and sell the team by September. Help us organize negative chants in the early innings till he vacates his seat. “This team sucks” or “Drayton sucks” would work nicely.

The only place the Astros should send Burke is home. He’s been given a chance, and he has failed. Now he’s dishing attitude. He doesn’t hit for average, no power, no RBI’s, few runs scored, and his defense at second is average. In addition, he’s a horrible base runner.

Send him packing. One home run in the big leagues in a playoff game does not give you a lifetime contract.

Lorretta should play 2nd now and for the next two years. He has said he does’nt like 3rd or SS. Scott should be in right field, no platooning. Berkman on 1st, maybe platooned with Lamb depending on the lefty who pitches against them. Ty on 3rd. (this guy is getting better each time I see him), Munsun catching and Bruntlett at SS til Adam E. returns. Jason Jennings should give up his sport in the rotation to Matt Albers and give McLemore more starts.

Wish I could join you for Mexchow, but it’s a long walk from NY. Next trip in, I’ll take you up on that offer.

JJO, hope you’re on my questions from the blog prior to this one.

Lineup depends if I’m trying to win or trying to evaluate for 2008. Of course if I am running things I have already signed Mike Lamb for two years and Josh Anderson gets called up, not Lane.

Bruntlett SS

Lamb 1B

Berkman RF

Lee LF

Scott CF

Wiggington 3B

Munson C

Burke 2B

P

Loretta subs at 2B, 3B and is a PH. If we’re not keeping him, no sense starting him.

Find out if Wigs is acceptable at 3B defensively, if Munson improves, if Burke can hit, if we can trade Everett because Bruntlett is above average (I’m not suggesting we trade Adam – but if we have weak hitters all over we can’t afford him), what Luke can do with consistent at-bats, etc.

Jose the Astros are not playing Burke because they want to quit on the season, they are playing him because he is flat out hitting the ball, and when he does get outs they are long outs. He slamed a two run homer last night in th3e ninth, Luke Scott is good offensively but in the end I think Chris Burke will be better.

If you want tex/mex food and you are on a tight budget, the two tacos for 99 cents at Jack in the Box can’t be beat (I’m not saying its good). Their all over town so one is probably near everyone. As for mexican/texican type food I like Loma Linda on Telephone Road.

As for the line-up, this season is over. The Astros should be playing Burke, Brutlett, Scott, Munson and Wigginton for the remainder of the season. Burke should be told he is playing for an invitation to spring training in 08.

So the line-up is:

2B Burke

SS Brutlett

LF Lee

1B Berkman

RF Scott

3B Wigginton

C Munson

CF Lane (When Pence returns release Lane)

P

Everett can sit when he gets back. Pence can stay in the eight hole for the rest of the season. Experiment with Burke and Brutlett at lead off. Switch Lee and Bergman to see if Bergman finds his mojo there. Give Burke, Brutlett, Scott and Munson their opportunity to secure a spot or release them at the end of the season.

I think Burke will play himself out of a spot just as Lane has. And like others, I don’t know why he is still playing. I think the Astros have written Lamb off(why?). Lorreta hopefully will be back next year. Will need him to play second base.

Garner got the Stros to the WS. No one else has. The problem resides above him in the pecking order. Anyone who does not believe that he does not see the hand he has been dealt is a fool. Los Tios in Meyerland rules. And how bout those ‘Fish’ tacos the home team served up last night?

the worse trade in franchise history was when Tim Purpuro over-reacted to the departure of Andy Petite and traded 2 starting pitchers and the fastest centerfielders in the organization for 2-7 Jason Jennings.

When Jennings departs for free agency what will we have to show for this gut-wrenching move? Jennings looks out of shape and throws like he’s pain. If for no other reason…Purpura should be gone.

While not as immediately damaging to the organization as the Jennings trade, the Wheeler for Wigginton trade makes little sense…how many 3rd basemen does this organization need? We badly need 5 pitchers in the starting rotation…not five 3rd basemen.

I am constantly amazed how Burke is looked upon as deserving yet another chance to start. For 3 years Eric Bruntlett has outplayed Burke in every phase of the game. People talk about Burke…but it’s Bruntlett who is the better ballplayer.

Letting Burke play in the outfield makes about as much sense as letting Jason Lane play 2nd base.

Burke should never get more at bats than Luke Scott. Luke Scott is streaky…he currently is hot…so he should get more playing time.

Is Jason Lane the best .167 hitter in the game?

Or is Jason Lane and Morgan Ensberg examples of players who have not made the adjustment to the non-Steroid era?

The following is a lineup that is obviously weak defensively… but removes all .167 to .222 hitters from the lineup:

I have been an Astros fan since 1980. I have never been moved to speak out before against this organization. I have been loyal beyond belief, to the point of having been criticized by family and friends for being a homer. For the first time, I am seriously considering where this organization is headed.

I have no confidence in Tim Purpura and am now so frustrated with Phil Garner, that I want him gone.

I have pulled for Garner and have been in his corner since he was in Milwaukee. When he became our manager I was so happy.

If I have to go through another season with Garner as our manager and Purpura as our fearless leader, I can assure you I will go crazy. I cannot watch another game with Jason Lane in the lineup and Luke Scott sitting on the bench. Every time Scott gets going, Garner pulls him out. This is maddening and I am starting to wish that they would trade him just so he can prove them wrong. Can anyone make sense of what is going on here?

Lunch and dinner are Tex-Mex. Our enchiladas do have American cheese and gravy. Our neighborhood has been changing and we our coming out with a new menu soon. It will have many authentic plates, including enchiladas.

Our breakfast has a lot of authentic stuff: including intestines and feet. We also have a lot of American items like pancakes.

I think my uncle open the restaurant around ’78 and my parents have owned since ’81. We’ve been serving Tex-Mex for a long time and it is what it is. It’s definitely not Mexican. And, yes the “Carlos Mexican Restaurant” is a deceiving name. Then again my uncle Carlos was Mexican and it is a restaurant.

Winning line up with the current team? Not a chance. Too many players, with too many head cases, playing too inconsistently.

Either way, the Astros are going to be out of contention for a while. The pitching is simply not there, as we have one of, if not the worst, pitching staff in the entire National League. No team could win with this staff and no team could win with this defense either.

It blows my mind how the McPurpura management has sent this team to the depths.

What are the Astros only hope? Spending money. The 2008 payroll, if the Astros hope to undo the boneheaded moves of the past couple of seasons, is going to have to come close to $150 million. This team cannot go on a fire sale, for that if it happened this team will not compete again for the rest of this decade.

What are the Astros needs?

OF (Lee, Pence, and then who? Someone that can hit and defend)

2B (Burke is NOT the solution)

3B (Wigginton is NOT the solution)

C (Munson is NOT the solution)

Three bullpen arms (Qualls cannot be a set up man, and you cannot have Moehler and Miller as middle relief)

Two starting pitchers (Albers cannot enter the rotation, Jennings cannot be brought back, and a Oswalt-Sampson-Backe-Rodriguez-Williams starting rotation will not be enough).

I have lived in SoCal for 7 years and lived in Houston for 30+ and have yet to find any restaurant here (Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley) that is as good as the many restaurants where I have dined in Houston. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

Didn’t Lidge just have something like five or six saves in a row? He gives up his first homer in a long time and now we have the obligatory “Pujols ruined him; he can’t stand the pressure” posts. I’m glad we didn’t trade him. A great closer becomes more valuable when you can’t run away and hide offensively, and your starters can’t mow everybody down. A closer who has the ability to get you 35-40 saves is something whose importance you cannot overstate. He’s working his way back, sometimes players just have down years, but if and when we become a good club again, Lidge will be one of the reasons why.

Not only should Luke Scott be playing every day, but Eric Bruntlett has EARNED the starting shortstop job. I like Mike Lamb, but he should be the odd man out – not Luke Scott. Especially since Lamb will likely be gone after the season.

Garner and Purpura are responsible for turning this team into a joke. Did you see today’s USA Today article on John Schuerholz? It is very telling and if you know nothing else, just read this article and the differences between the best GM in baseball and the worst (ours) will jump off the page. Jose, John S. in his article says that for his team (and most others, since most don’t have a $200million payroll), the key to everything is being able to evaluate correctly the players in your own system. It is pretty obvious that this is the gospel truth. And of course, we all know that Purpura and Garner have failed in this regard the vast majority of the time. Enough said.

Jose, why do you hate Burke so much? It’s so evident and annoying. Listen, the Astros are out of it … they know it … you know it … the fans ought to know it. They’re not going to announce they are out of it … that is just insane and you’re ridiculous for thinking or expecting that they would. They, unfortunately, have a ton of players that they need to figure out: Burke, Scott, and Lane. It’s difficult to have them all out there when you have Biggio “playing for the fans” and you’re still keeping fresh or advertising Loretta and Lamb for waiver-wire deals this month. Wigginton is going to play everyday and Berkman will as well … don’t blame it all on Burke – especially just because since Scott is the hot one right now. Why not just blame Lane? He’s started every game since he’s been up – sticking Scott in CF would make more sense. You could blame Lamb – he may be gone next year … You could blame Biggio – he’s got his 3k, so time to see about the future … Drop the Burke Hatorade … It’s clear what Purpura and Garner are doing … they’re trying to assess their players. Unfortunately, there’s not enough room for all of them every night. It’s not one person’s fault … it’s not Garner’s fault … There is no problem … it’s just the way it is. Deal with it.

p.s. It goes without saying, but good teams obviously don’t have these assessment issues at this point in the season.

Morgan Ensberg only thinks that the Mexican food in California is better than here because he is from California and he is used to that. Like people from New York probably think their version of barbeque is good and that people from Texas just don’t make it the right way. Obviously they are all wrong, Houston has the best Mexican food and Barbeque, and anyone who doesn’t thinks so only thinks that because they tasted the bad stuff first and now they think that’s how it’s supposed to taste.

HA HA! All you negative fans(?)can cheer for the Pupura Wigginton trade. Ty is a professional hitter(disciplined) who unlike lane and Ensberg can hit his pitch. I hope you saw the ab’s by Brunt and Burke. Willis is a lefty that is why Lamb and Scott did not play. Biggio has been great but hopefully he sits tomorrow and Sunday so Burke can have a chance to get in a groove.He could be a younger Biggio. 300 hitter with some pop but better range.

I once hated to see Ensberg in our lineup, but now that he’s in San Diego, I am rooting for him to succeed like crazy. If Burke were traded to San Diego, I would root for him to go 0 fer 12 in every game.

I think we should re-sign Billy Hatcher. He also hit a famous playoff dinger.

How is this? After this year, Lamb, Loretta and Scott will all be gone. If I were Scott, I would be pleading for a trade now.

McLane deserves the ire of the fans. It is one thing to put your best team on the field, it is another to be totally unfair. Scott has been mistreated all season. All McLane will ever understand is empty seats. He and tiny (ability that is) tim and WOTH (way over the hill) Garner

need to “get out of Dodge.” They will do much better in the manure business-they are naturals.

At the beginning of the season, I thought it was just me who could not understand why Luke Scott was not playing everyday. Actually, to go back further, I couldn’t understand why there was a competition in training camp for the RF position, when LS clearly earned it the second half (the only half he was allowed to) of last year.

But now I can’t even keep up with all the blogs and calls from people who feel the same way. And this week, with LS not being allowed to start even once in the Atlanta series, just makes it worse.

I have to say first that, if I were a GM looking for an outfielder, I would probably not be offering much, if anything, to acquire LS in a trade or as a free agent; i.e., not like going after Carlos Lee. But as a guy that we have in the organization, I think he is great and deserves to play until someone significantly better comes along, preferably up through the organization. I just don’t see a need to go out seeking a replacement.

Two examples of so-called rationale I have heard for Garner choosing who he plays are:

- He wants to win now and not just be trying out young guys. Well, LS is no young guy.

- Related to this, Garner would not want to be around in the future if McLane decided to go into rebuilding mode.

But to me, this makes it even harder to understand why he doesn’t play LS. If he wants to win, he should want to play the best players. That means the inclusion of LS in the lineup — every day.

Purpura said on the GM show on the radio Mon. night that he is disappointed in LS’ performance and that he is a streaky hitter. Well, many of the best hitters are streaky. Beyond that, consistency can only come from being in the lineup consistently.

Responses like this from Purpura show why he has to go before anything good can happen.

Sampson has been adamant that he was not hurt at all. But I’ve been wondering why the Astros didn’t just have him get an MRI anyway, which apparently they finally did. I would hate to not trust Sampson, so how isn’t that a guy doesn’t know when he’s hurt? Is it such that with the particular ligament involved, it doesn’t really hurt, but instead the arm just doesn’t respond to what the brain is telling it to do when pitching? Or what?

Garner is destoying the team. Nobody plays the same position regularly and most don’t play regularly. How can a player have confidence? If a player does not have confidence then they are likely to perform to their expectations (low). Look at all the players that started off okay with the Astros then went South. Ensberg, Lidge(and the rest of the bullpen), Lane, Scott, and now even Berkman and Oswalt. The one common thread is a manager who has a poor track record and manages like he is pulling names out of a hat.

Ralph: Interesting, but I think Berkman in CF is an absolute no-no defensively. Jayne: interesting lineup. Bruntlett is probably the best defensive option, other than perhaps Lane, at CF on the current roster. Lane just cannot start unless he improves dramatically offensively, immediately if not sooner. (He did have a nice game offensively last night, but it has to be consistent.) Several posters: Loretta at SS makes for a good offensive lineup but, one has to accept that his lack of range makes him a problem defensively. On the other hand, I think he is very adequate offensively at 2B or 3B. I like the efforts to get Loretta and Lamb in the lineup at the same time, however. Both are very professional hitters. The return of Pence could dramatically improve the overall defense as well as offense. Using Wigginton at 2B would definitely add power to the offense. From what I’ve seen on the road, I think he is going to benefit from the Crawford boxes as much as anyone on the team. Berkman seems to be centering up on the ball the best of the season. WHATEVER is done now needs to assessing for 2008. Hopefully that doesn’t include Lane. Burke needs to show some offense pretty soon. For the best remainder of the season, the Astros have, I think, to adopt the Braves philosophy – put the best offensive team on the field and try to outscore the opposition since the pitching is so bad right now. I DO NOT buy that philosophy for next season, however. Next season, pitching and defense have to be improved to give the Astros a chance at the playoffs. One asset Burke does bring to the lineup is speed. Unfortunately, however, he isn’t on base enough to bring that to bear on the other team’s pitching and defense.

“What lineup would you like to see”? That’s a good question. I can’t exactly figure out what Tim P. is trying to do for this offseason. In theory, we could actually sign Loretta and Lamb next season. Lamb could play 3B and Ty could switch to 2B with Loretta playing super-sub again.

I don’t think that’s in the plans, so here should be the starting lineup:

1 – Burke 2B

2 – Scott RF

3 – Berkman 1B

4 – Lee LF

5 – Wigginton 3B

6 – Munson C

7 – Bruntlett SS

8 – Lane CF

When Pence gets back, he takes Lane’s spot.

The reason is clear: we need to judge if Burke, Scott, Wigginton, Munson and Bruntlett can be everyday players, both offensively and defensively. We can see how good these guys are next year at Spring Training, against mediocre pitching and when they’re just getting warmed up or we can see how good they are now against MLB pitchers. It only makes sense.

And if I’m Drayton, I’m taking into account that Tim P hasn’t ordered these players to be played against him.

Jose, you know more about this than we do. Are you holding something back from us? Did Scott tick somebody off we are not aware of earlier in his career? They would have loved nothing more than for Lane to outplay him in spring training so they could bench him then. Heck, they tried to trade him in the offseason before he even made it to camp! What gives? I have no confidence in Purpura, Tal Smith, or Garner to turn this team around anytime soon. Their handling of RF is one of those reasons.

We have not played our best players all year, starting with “Pence is not ready”. Why should they start now. I guess you could say they are trying as hard to win now as they were in April. The bloggers could see it, the media could see it, and the fans could see it. Why can’t they? There is none so blind as those who will not see.

The problem now is this Wiggington guy, what the hell do we do with him? I woudl rather have Lamb at 3B if I was managing the lineup. Berkman is an option in Right Field but that keeps Scott out of the lineup and he has proven he deserves more playing time over Burke.

How is Wiggington’s outfielding? Honestly, we didn’t need this guy. I’d rather have Wheels back. It just seems like a cheap move on Purpura’s part to bring in this kid who will play for dirt. I would resign Lamb who is having in my opinion a breakout season.

The only Mexican Restaurant you should go to is Teotihuacan on Irvington and Cavalcade. The Chron reviewed the location on Airline near N. Main recently. They are owned and managed by Sylvia and Honorio Galvan. She runs the Irvington location. He runs the Airline site. Try it, you will not regret it. Better than Ninfa’s on Navigation with lower prices.

I fully agree with you about Burke. He appears to be totally undisciplined at the plate and somethimes looks too relaxed or bored in the field. I believe if he feared for his job more, he might perform at a higher level. We shouldn’t promise people jobs before they prove they can hold it.

I would rather see Burke in center field than Lane and if Wiggington has to play second to get Lamb in the lineup then so be it. This isn’t even a bad lineup and would be even better with the return of Pence. I think this is a terrible defensive lineup but its offense is playoff worthy; however the pitching staff is a complete joke so I wouldn’t be thinking playoffs for at least another 2-3 years. The Astros need to really rebuild their farm system. It will help that we’ll have a top 10 pick this year but whoever does the drafts for the Astros has a terrible track record and I’m sure they’ll blow that pick too. On that note, is there any word on whether or not the Astros will sign there top two picks. I think our farm system has gotten so bad because we never have first round picks, and it would completely go down the drain if we had a draft in which the highest pick we had was in the fifth round.

If you want real Mexican food, go to California. Frankly, I hate Mexican food, but TEX-MEX is a different animal altogether. Mexican food involves things like calf brains steamed in the ground and cabrito, which I would trade any day of the week for good old fashioned Tejano beef. Tex-Mex wins every day of the week!

It is apparently obvious Luke Scott & Mike Lamb can do no right. They can go 10 for 10 in the next three games and they’ll see the bench. Also, a better question would be, what has Lane done to deserve playing time and who’s making the decisions? I am with a couple of bloggers who say, “FREE LUKE SCOTT”, “FREE MIKE LAMB”. I would love to see this players go to a different team to show they can play (exposes dumb and dumber’s decisions even more).

Regarding the Mexican food issue, Houston has some good TEX-MEX food but let’s not confuse it with authentic Mexican food. I’ve had good Mexican food in barrio parts of Houston (South Houston, east side). I would say the best Mexican food in the US is a tie between LA and El Paso, Texas. Phoenix is a distant third.

But people may disagree with me but I’ve only lived or spent extensive time in the mentioned cities plus many more. Plus I was born south of the border and have spent many years lving there as an adult so don’t challenge me with your limited knowledge of Mexican food (Taco Bell, Taco Cabana, Taquerias Arandas etc)…

Burke, who is just not very good, should be traded. Loretta should be re-signed as 2nd baseman for 2 years or until a young minor leaguer is ready.

The current Winning Lineup is:

SS Bruntlett

2B Loretta

CF Berkman

LF Lee

1B Lamb

3B Wigginton

RF Scott

C Munson

Going thru this exercise made me recognize again how much we miss Willy T.

And we’re going to miss Wheeler – bad.

Too bad Garner couldn’t have made Ensberg get mad at that ball.

Garner can’t manage these players with head cases. And Lidge is about to crumble again. We should have traded Brad and we could have gotten a lot. Lidge just can’t pitch under pressure. Lidge can be 7th inning set-up man, no prob. If the Stros are a hundred games out of first, he may do OK. But Pujols ruined him forever.

Clemens suggested making Brad a starter. And I’d be willing to try it. Lord knows, we need pitchers.

No offense, but you and Morgan are CRAZY when it comes to your opinion on Mexican food in this town. If you haven’t found awesome Mexican food in Houston, there can only be two explanations:

1. You don’t know where to look, or;

2. You aren’t trying.

For starters, do yourself a favor and make a stop by the Original Ninfa’s, down on Navigation. Its only a 5 minute trip from the Chronicle offices in downtown… and on game days, they run a free shuttle to and from MMP.

Biggio at 2nd, Burke in Center, Loretta at 1st, Bruntlett at SS….come on Purpura, you have to be able to find a few more second baseman to fill out this roster!

Why do we have so many outfielders? We dont need Lane or Scott (one doesnt hit enough to play and the other doesnt play regardless of how he hits)….we can easily pick up another second baseman and stick him at 3rd.

This team is so stupid.

Burke really isnt the root of the problem….the problem is that we have 4 second baseman (including Bruntlett who is a better fit at 2nd than SS). Who freaking builds a team with 3 or 4 second baseman? 2nd base is the least important position on the field….only a moron starts the season with 3 of them and tries to play them all.

I am ok with a talentless team that loses alot of games. Watching talented players sit as someone who has no clue what he is doing calls the shots is very frustrating.

(JJO, this is not directed toward you.) I don’t believe I have ever tried Cal-Mex food, but it’s just a matter of opinion. You don’t have to take offense if Ensberg personally prefers Mexican food in California. He may be wrong, I don’t know. Maybe that one restaurant in San Diego that he likes so much has better Mexican food than any place he’s been to in Texas. Maybe he hasn’t been to a good Mexican restaurant in Texas. The point is, it doesn’t really matter. You don’t have to resort to calling him derogatory names just because his opinion does not coincide with your own. It’s not like he insulted your family or anything. Please, get over it.

Lee in LF, Lane (until Pence comes back) in CF, and Scott in RF. I think Loretta should be on the bench. He went 0-13 in Atlanta, and just is

not swinging the bat very well lately. I have

heard that Wigginton is a better 2b than he is a

3b, so why not play him there so we can have Lamb’s bat in the lineup…which I feel is more productive than Loretta’s bat. Loretta could come in late in the games for defense. No Burke.

This guy has had so many chances, only because management doesn’t want to admit they were wrong drafting him instead of David Wright, and they keep hoping that he will turn things around. Ain’t gonna happen!! Munson deserves at least 3

Forgetting the obvious answer which is that neither Texas nor California have real Mexican food (ethnic dishes are changed slightly or hugely in every country to appeal to the taste of locals, which is not bad at all, is normal and it happens in every country, take sushi for example, our sushi doesn´t resemble authentic Japanese sushi), our version is so much better than the California version.

I wont be there on Sunday, but I hope the restaurant will be full so people can taste by themselves that Texas version of Mexican food is tasty.

Joel, please tell me that you don´t use american cheese for your enchilads and you don´t use bean sauce, tell me that and I assure you I will take my family to your restaurant in the near future.

I’ve been saying this all along, BURKE SUCKS! Dump this guy before any more time is wasted on him. Hey Junction Jack aka Burke don’t be offended that we think you stink up the joint. Facts are facts you aren’t very good.

whatever lineup anyone posts cant and wont be good anyways Jesus…this team is filled with bench players who start. I just want to know what exactly Scott has done to piss off mgmt for this team? Other than being the 4th best batter all season long. This is what happens when you dont bring up guys from the minors till they are 28..you get a log jam of garbage utility players. I posted in the other blog about Justin Upton being 19 and called up to play everyday by the diamondbacks. I know Houston doesnt have anyone in the minors that talented, but MAYBE if they actually signed their top draft picks or went after some (chad jones) we could get some quality young talent. This team is a joke and is completely broken with no fix in sight.

Burke’s playing time has very little to do with Scott’s playing time. Maybe it occasionally affects Scott when Loretta plays first base (why?…Loretta doesn’t have the power necessary at 1b). But, really, it is Wigginton and Lamb who are cutting into Scott’s playing time. Wigginton was acquired as a full-time 3bman, and that leaves 1b as the only remaining position for Lamb…which of course pushes Berkman into RF. I’m not a fan of that trade. The trade causes the Astros into contortions to continue playing Lamb. The ripple effect makes all the defense worse, with Wigginton at 3b, Lamb at 1b, and Berkman in RF, all sub-par fielders at those positions. For those who want to put Scott in CF…would there be many worse defensive outfields than Lee, Scott, and Berkman?

Yea its a mixed message thing. You have Burke playing second and Lamb at 1st and Berkman in Right instead of Scott in Right (seeing what he can do).

I rather see Burke, Wigs and Scott play lets see what they got.

Guys you are all welcome to come join us. It’s going to be a lot fun and I guarantee you’ll want to comeback for the food. I’m going to bring in a 42″ TV (in addition to the little TVs we have) so we can watch the game if anyone is still around at 12. You can call the restaurant at 281-350-1136 or me at 832-457-1611 if you have any questions.

Jose get ready for a good meal and some great mexican food. I just ate at Carlos’s today and usually eat there once a week at least. Oustanding food!! On your blog today, great points and things that needed to be said. The Astros management needs to be called out on the way things are being done. I think Burke and Scott need to play everyday to see what future they have with the team. This year is over time to look to the future.